PostSecondary Survey
Instructions
April 22, 2008
Dear parents and guardians,
My name is Megan Griffin, and I am a graduate student in Special Education at Vanderbilt University working in partnership with the Tennessee Task Force for Post-Secondary Education for Students with Intellectual Disabilities.
The options for students with intellectual disabilities after high school are usually limited--often their disabilities prevent them from graduating with a diploma like their typical peers. In turn, graduating without a diploma prevents them from continuing their education the way that other students usually do. Across the country, another option has become available to these students: post-secondary programs that allow them to continue their education, become more independent, and learn important skills so that they can find a job later in their lives.
Universities, technical colleges, and community agencies have created different programs tailored to the needs of students with intellectual disabilities. Generally, they are 2-4 year programs that may be privately, locally or federally funded. They take different forms, but have a common purpose--to allow students with intellectual disabilities the chance to continue their education and have a “college experience.”
Currently, no such program exists in Tennessee, and the options for these students remain limited. However, the Task Force has researched programs that exist across the country to learn what they have done well, so that a program in Tennessee could replicate this success. You are being asked to complete the enclosed survey because you are the parent of a student with an intellectual disability who is currently enrolled in a Tennessee high school.
Completing the survey is voluntary, and should only take about 20 minutes; additionally, you are free to skip any question you do not want to answer. Your answers to the survey will remain anonymous, but will help the Task Force better meet the needs of students with intellectual disabilities in Tennessee. To make sure that your answers remain anonymous, please do not include any identifying information about you or your child. Results of the survey will be reported in group form, and will be sent to those organizations that distributed the surveys.
If you have any questions about this research study, please contact me, Megan Griffin, at (850) 529-9383. For additional information about giving consent or your rights as a participant in this study, please feel free to contact the Vanderbilt University Institutional Review Board Office at (615) 322-2918, or toll free at (866) 224-8273.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this important development in Tennessee—we look forward to learning more about your perspective!
Sincerely,
Megan Griffin
Answer questions as they relate to you. For most answers, check the boxes most applicable to you or fill in the blanks.
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Your responses to this questionnaire are entirely voluntary and will be used, anonymously, in our research on the opportunities available to students with intellectual disabilities after they leave high school. You may withdraw your participation at any time and may choose to skip any question. By filling out this questionnaire, you agree to be in our study. For our part, we agree to report findings only in group form. A check in the box below indicates that you have read and understand the terms of this agreement, agree to participate in this study, and allow the use of your information in the questionnaire for research purposes: I agree
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About You (continued)
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Are you currently employed?
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What is your current occupation?
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What is your current marital status?
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Have you ever been divorced?
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How many children do you have?
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About the Student with an Intellectual Disability (1)
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Where does your child live?
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Zip code of your child's residence:
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Which of the following disability conditions does your child have? Please check the options that apply the best.
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At about what grade level does your child read?
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About the Student with an Intellectual Disability (4)
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Which one of the following best describes your child's most recent school setting?
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Do you think your child likes high school?
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Do you expect that your child will pass the Tennessee Gateway exams?
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About the Student with an Intellectual Disability (6)
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Does your child’s IEP include a plan for the time immediately after high school?
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How aware do you think you are of the different options that are available to your child after high school?
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How do you learn about the available options? Choose all that apply.
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What barriers, if any, have you encountered in trying to understand all the options available to your child? Choose all that apply.
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About the Student with an Intellectual Disability (7)
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Across the country, universities, technical colleges, and other agencies have created and are developing different post-secondary school programs for students with intellectual disabilities. Generally, they are 2-4 year programs that are specially tailored programs to meet the needs of students with intellectual disabilities that otherwise would not continue their education after high school; they may be privately, locally or federally funded. Would you consider this type of program as an option for your student after high school?
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Do you think your child would be interested in attending this type of program after high school?
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How likely do you think it is that your child might actually enroll in a post-secondary program after exiting high school?
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About the Student with an Intellectual Disability (8)
For each item, please indicate how important it is to you that it is included in the development of a post-secondary program in Tennessee.